#230: 5 Reasons Food and Screen Time Don’t Mix (And Why We Need to Protect the Table)

In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward dives into an important conversation about screen use during mealtimes in early childhood programs.While screens may make mealtime feel calmer or more compliant, research shows they may interfere with children’s ability to self-regulate, recognize hunger and fullness cues, build social skills, and develop healthy eating habits.Carla shares:What research says about eating during TV viewingWhy self-regulation starts at the tableHow screen-linked eating patterns can shape long-term habitsWhy mealtime is one of our most powerful social learning opportunitiesAnd why compliance should never replace developmentThis episode is not about judgment. It’s about reflection. Because lunch and snack time aren’t just about calories. They are opportunities for connection, conversation, and growth.If we want children who can sit across from someone, engage in meaningful dialogue, and listen to their bodies, it starts now.Let’s protect the table.RESEARCH SHARED IN THIS EPISODEEffect of Television Viewing at Mealtime on Food Intake After a Glucose Preload in Boyshttps://www.nature.com/articles/pr2007158Does Eating during Television Viewing Affect Preschool Children’s Intake?https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2596580/Screen Time Vs Meal Time: How Screens Are Shaping Your Child's Eating Habitshttps://www.ndtv.com/health/screen-time-vs-meal-time-how-screens-are-shaping-your-childs-eating-habits-9564525Examination of the Life Habits of Preschool Children Based on Their Screen Use Patternshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11276093/Television viewing and using screens while eating: associations with dietary intake in children and adolescentshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8671257/Mealtime TV Use Is Associated with Higher Discretionary Food Intakes in Young Australian Children: A Two-Year Prospective Studyhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9268203/Technological Devices and Their Effect on Preschool Children’s Eating Habits in Communities of Mixed Socioeconomic Status in Istanbul; a Pilot Cross-Sectional Studyhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8614987/SUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! shape their early years.CONNECT WITH CARLAThe ECE Latte LoungeEmail Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠Website: carlatheece.comInstagram: @carlatheece